


A Few Moments of Freedom

by Nerdy_Skirt



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fraternization
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 07:45:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7926409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdy_Skirt/pseuds/Nerdy_Skirt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vega and Shepard became close while she was under house arrest on Earth, but it didn't end after they boarded the Normandy. It's hard to find time to themselves...</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Few Moments of Freedom

The screeching sound of his alarm blaring angrily was more of an annoyance than an actual wake up, and Vega stretched almost lazily in his bed. There were agitated groans here and there, coming from other bunks; crewmen who had either just fallen asleep or didn't have to be up for another two hours.

James sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bunk, curling his toes against the cool floor and rubbing a hand over his short hair, before standing and stretching again. He dressed quietly, no need for a light to find his clothes, the soft clinking sound of his belt sounding louder than it was in the dark silence of the crew quarters. He didn't bother putting his shirt on, since he was only working out. Instead he slung it over his shoulder and walked to the elevator.

He appreciated the quiet of the very early morning, no one but a skeleton crew to keep things running smoothly, the solitude before the hustle and bustle of the ship as missions were planned and orders were barked. Life on the Normandy was never dull, just the way Vega liked it… though he did wish he was there under different circumstances. He hated leaving earth, hated abandoning Anderson, despised feeling as though he was safe when so many others weren't. But after Mars, after Palaven, all of that had changed.

The shuttle bay was quiet, not even the sound of Cortez' tools broke the calm. Nothing but the smooth hum of the starship cruising through the cold blackness of space. The familiar sight of his pull-up bar brought a smile to his face, beckoning him like an old friend, and he tossed his white t-shirt on his work station before making the hop to grab the bar and raising his considerable bulk for the first of many chin-ups.

Ten minutes in and his body had begun to glisten with sweat, his muscles not quite feeling the burn he wanted, so he let go and continued with only one arm. There was a barely audible woosh as the elevator door opened and he could hear soft footsteps between each exaggerated grunt. Too light to be Cortez, too confident to be Liara, it was a gait he would recognize anywhere. Shepard.

Anna Shepard's days on earth had been filled with frustration, anger, hurt, confusion. Not permitted to go anywhere or do anything, all of her mail opened and read before it was ever sent or received. She'd been treated like a traitor, like a brainwashed Cerberus criminal, even though she had chosen to return to Alliance space. 

That was before she had met one James Vega. Loud, obnoxious, full of beer... and so hot. Muscles on muscles, broad shoulders, a thick neck and solid chest. He was bronze skin and dark eyes and a laugh that could fill any room. And then things had gotten interesting.

It had been all harmless flirting and innuendo at first, him teasing her in his cocky way and her giving as good as she got. A few drinks and one suggestive look too many had found them tangled in a heated embrace. He’d worried about rank but after another long, deep kiss, tongues and lips and teeth clashing… they were quite happy in bed together. Once had turned into twice and they had quickly decided that they were good together. Alliance regs be damned.

She'd got up early, for no other reason than that her body was so used to it. That and she knew James would be alone in the shuttle bay. She headed to the elevator, hoping desperately that nobody would need her and she could have a few quiet, or not so quiet, moments alone with her Lieutenant.

She could hear the telltale grunt of him working out the moment she stepped off the elevator, and followed the noise, pausing at his little station to admire the view. What a view it was: his tan skin shone, covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Her eyes traced the tattoos that curved about his corded neck and she imagined her tongue following those dark marks, instead. His shoulders and back were a mass of roiling muscle, broad and tapering down into his waist. "Morning." she said, making no effort to hide how her eyes roamed his body.

A soft groan escaped his lips as he pulled his chin up over the bar one last time. He held the position, his muscles flexing as he did, and turned his head so that he could look over his shoulder at the fiery woman behind him. Smirking, more than a bit arrogantly, he gave her a wink and let her admire the view a little longer before letting go of the bar and dropping to the floor. 

“Morning, Lola.” He purred out, stepping closer to his commander. He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her close to his sweaty, muscled frame with a quick and forceful tug. Leaning down, he brushed his lips over hers, just a tease before he captured her mouth in a sweet kiss. A kiss that deepened as he lifted her up off her feet in a boyish display of strength and sat her on his work bench, settling himself between her thighs.

Normally she despised cockiness and arrogance. She'd been hit on by so many marines she'd lost count. And they were all too big for their britches. She'd been honey'd and baby'd and sweetheart'd to death. Sometimes she'd kick their ass, sometimes she'd just walk away. Depended on the day and how many drinks she'd had. But Vega, he was different. His arrogance was earned. And he knew it.

She felt his muscles flex under his skin as he pressed himself to her, sweat running in little rivulets down the center of his chest and soaking into her shirt, hot and hard and perfect. She melted into him, her arms wrapping around his neck and her fingers feathering through his barely there mohawk. “Have you eaten yet?” Anna asked against his lips, eyes barely open. “I could go to the mess and whip us up something.”

James chuckled and bit at her bottom lip. Anna was a lot of things. Strong, smart, calculating, a hero… but what she wasn't was a cook. Hell, he’d rather take her dancing than have to sit through another breakfast she’d made. “Lola, do us both a favour and stay out of the kitchen.” He pulled his shoulder up and smirked so that his eyes danced as she slapped him, though she was laughing as much as he was. “How about this? How about I go shower, and you… you come with me?” His hands had pulled her in tight again and his voice was lower, deeper, and laced with an undeniable begging.

“I do like the way you think.” Anna was just a little breathless, her cheeks flushed pink from want. “I’m not really that bad of a cook, am I?” She teased. She knew she was awful - everything she touched turned to ash or cardboard or charcoal. Sometimes a combination of the three.

James snorted and he put her down on the floor, his thick fingers brushing a stray lock of her unruly hair behind her ear. "I’d let Joker fix breakfast before I’d eat eggs you scrambled again.”

She rolled her eyes and squirmed out of his grip, half bouncing toward the elevator. The shuttle bay was still empty so she pulled her shirt off over her head and threw it at him, hitting him in the face. He started after her, a mischievous grin curving his mouth, and quickly pushed her into the elevator. He was hungry for her, his hands cupping her cheeks as he nipped and sucked at her lips, eager kisses from one to the other. He punched the “non stop” button and his hands began to roam, pulling quiet but need filled sighs from Anna.

The elevator stopped just outside her cabin and she pulled away from him, enjoying the way he watched her move. Inside her overly spacious room, she unclasped her bra and threw it at him, her ample breasts almost bouncing free. He caught it, mid air, and tossed it on the floor letting out a low whistle of appreciation. She was a work of art, grace and power in equal amounts. James admired her and respected her and was certainly not above lusting after her.

Stepping out of her shoes, she turned and gave her ass a shake while she fiddled with the button on her pants and pushed them down over her hips. They fell to her ankles, where she stepped out of them and kicked them off to the side. Standing with her back to him in nothing but a black thong, she hooked her thumb into the strap at her hip and started to push it down. "Coming, slow poke?"

“You know me, Commander… just enjoying the view.” Though he did take three, long steps toward her, catching her arm and spinning her into him. Her breasts were mashed into his still bare chest, his shirt long forgotten three floors down. He was painfully hard, that throbbing, bobbing muscle straining at the too tight fabric of his pants, and he groaned roughly when her strong hand groped at him.

“I’d like to enjoy a view, too, James. Hurry up and lose the pants.” Anna opened his belt with deft and practiced fingers, yanking it from his pants so quickly that he was nearly put off balance. She bit her lip, looking up at him, and tossed it on the back of a chair near the bathroom door. He kicked off his boots, a hand fisting into her thick, auburn hair, and kissed her again with a moan of anticipation.

Fingers fumbling, she finally managed to get his pants open and he impatiently shucked them off, followed by his black boxer briefs. When his impressive manhood was freed Anna thanked the stars for her luck. He was long and thick and curved ever so slightly up. “Now that… is a work of art.” She said, fingertips tracing his length. They were hot kisses and grabbing hands all the way to the shower where she asked if he wanted her to wash his back.

He couldn't keep his lips from hers, as addictive as red sand; he kissed her like she was air, deepening that expression of care and longing. His tongue danced with hers and his cock pulsated in response. “That’s not what needs washed…” his gaze was heated and suggestive and his big hand ran down her toned abdomen. His touch was rough enough that it didn't tickle, but easy enough that it made her skin raise deliciously. Thick fingers slipped easily into her heat and she wasn't even a little embarrassed to be dripping wet for him.

He pressed her back into the cool tile wall of the shower and water began to fall in large, heavy droplets, quite like standing in the heavy rains of Earth. That skilled, back sassing mouth worked down her neck, Anna's head falling back to offer him more. James knew how to play her, knew how to fan the flames of her need, and that was precisely what he did. Trailing wet, open mouthed kisses past her collar bone and down over the swell of her breast where he latched onto a taut and hardened nipple.

“James…” She breathed out his name, so quietly it was almost drowned in the slow but heavy cascade of water. It wasn't lost on him, though. There were few things sweeter than the sound of his name on her lips.

“You know I hate it when you whisper.” He teased, lips lazily skimming over the ridges of her six pack and over her mound where his tongue delved in deep. He was knelt in front of her, starved for her body, mouth devouring her with the same energy he met every task. He grabbed one thigh and rested it on his shoulder so that she was opened up to him fully. He sucked her sensitive bundle of nerves into his mouth, gifting her with a little flick of his soft tongue and she was anything but quiet in that moment.

“Fuck, James!” It was loud and unabashed, her hips rocking into his attention, palms flat on the wall. Water streamed down her face and body, exaggerating the noises of her lieutenant as he suckled at the only delicate part of her. His hands gripped her ass, helping her stay steady on her feet and he used that leverage to his advantage. He kept her tight to his mouth sucking and probing as she gasped and sighed, every noise feeding his arousal.

“Better.” He slurred out, no longer able to ignore his erection. He gave her a final long and hard draw before standing up and crushing his lips into her again. She could taste herself on him, a salty-sweet tang that had mixed with his sweat and the water from the shower.

Her fingers trailed gently along the length of his decadent cock and she chuckled out her approval when he half growled at the sensation and grabbed roughly at her hips. Wrapping her hand around him she indulged in a few firm strokes, overly amused by his gentle thrusts into her hand. If she’d had more time, if their quiet alone time hadn't been nearly up, she would have traded places with him and reciprocated, but the early morning ticked on and the threat of interruption increased with each moment. “I need you. Now.” She said, giving him one more squeeze.

“Don't have to tell me twice.” James said, lifting Anna so that her legs were over his arms, her knees locked at his elbows. He always took the first plunge inside her slow, like he was savouring the way her body accepted him. Likewise, she would let out the first of many pleased moans - always a little longer than the rest. Each thrust after that was a hair faster, a little harder, until he reached a rhythm that they both responded to.

Their voices rose with the steam, his deep and rumbling while hers was a cacophony of sighing, singing moans. They clung to each other, lost to everything but the feel of their bodies coming together in their one moment of freedom. Foreheads together, eyes closed tight - or maybe they were open, it was the last thing in their minds - mouths meeting, only occasionally, in a fumbling semblance of a kiss… there were no reapers, no war to save the galaxy. It was just them. Just the taste and feel and sound of intense pleasure.

Anna cried out first, his strokes deep and steady and exactly the way she needed, his name followed by a string of expletives as her fingers dug into the skin at his neck and shoulders. His release was on the heels of hers,his hips jerking while he groaned hard in her ear.

“That… I needed that.” She said, panting in the thick air of the bathroom. 

He held her a moment longer, both collecting themselves, and then he put her carefully on the floor. “I aim to please, Lola.” He laughed and grabbed a bottle of shampoo, squeezing a miniscule amount out onto his fingers.

They washed quickly and we're drying off when the soft trill of the ship’s AI system went off. “Commander Shepard.” Came Edi’s pleasant voice. “I’m afraid you’re needed on the bridge. An urgent message from Grissom Academy has just come through.”

Anna sighed and looked at James. “Thank you, Edi. I’ll be right there.”

He pulled her to him for an uncharacteristically tender hug, his head resting on the top of hers. “You got this, Commander. No matter what they throw at you… you got this.”


End file.
